Booze and Balls

C

Ched

"Hey ... I'm back"!
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Back when I was a yonker (young person), I tended to be drinkin a bit when I was playin pool. Now a days ... I'm just drinking water or soda .. and I noticed that I'm doing better at getting a handle on position.

Now I still like a beer or Bacardi and coke ... but when I'm at a serious level .. I'm not drinking. For me there was always a sweet spot (3-4 drinks) that I shot well, but after that I tanked.

All this is kinda covered in both the Newman movies ... but I was wondering what you folks had to say.
 
About 40 years ago I ran into a player that actually played better as he drank more.
I just sipped a beer until I went to the bathroom then I pored it out. Then I pretended to drink the rest and bought another.

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SilverCue said:
About 40 years ago I ran into a player that actually played better as he drank more.
I just sipped a beer until I went to the bathroom then I poured it out. Then I pretended to drink the rest and bought another.

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That may have been me you ran into 40 years ago, I couldn't make a ball until I got about half plastered!..In all my years of playing with guys like Kelly, RA and LA Richie, seems like I always did better if we hit the bar first!..I rarely outplayed them,
but I could sure as hell outdrink 'em. ;)

PS.. Isn't pouring out your beer, called 'alcohol abuse'? :confused:
 
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Rumor hasn it I shoot my pants off when I am 3 sheets to the wind.

I can't confirm nor deny as when I am that drunk, I don't remember much. Thankfully that rarely happens.
 
How ironic, I just got home after a night of 8 ball at the bar. Actually I walked home, didn't drive due to this "big storm" currently working its way through pa. Shot great from 7-12. After that beer hinders your ability however, I think,,, well ,, I know now it's beer that leads to bad shots then your confidence takes a sh*t. What's left? A bad night. You may search on azbilliards for answers and then stumble upon this.
 
I drink when I am playing for fun, but just recently found out I play much better when I don't drink.

I did a sober January this year, and well, I won EVERY single league match I played during that period. I couldn't ignore it, and with the exception of 1 game have played every league match sober since. I am currently 15 and 2.

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I have taken to playing myself early when I can :lol:, or I will grab a whiskey and a beer to sip on during the match but not actually drink enough to feel the effects, unless I really feel confident in the match up.

This wasn't always the case and I definitely used to play better with a few in me. I am not sure what changed, but it changed. I still can play well casually when drinking but it isn't consistent and my higher level game suffers enough that I won't anymore. I still have nights playing for fun totally pissed out of my mind though and end up winning. :lol:

Big change for me, as I am a drinker for sure.
 
15 and 2 is 17, so you aren't old enough to drink anyway.

I am tellin your mom.
DCS_SF said:
I drink when I am playing for fun, but just recently found out I play much better when I don't drink.

I did a sober January this year, and well, I won EVERY single league match I played during that period. I couldn't ignore it, and with the exception of 1 game have played every league match sober since. I am currently 15 and 2.

Y1JxG2Yl.png


I have taken to playing myself early when I can :lol:, or I will grab a whiskey and a beer to sip on during the match but not actually drink enough to feel the effects, unless I really feel confident in the match up.

This wasn't always the case and I definitely used to play better with a few in me. I am not sure what changed, but it changed. I still can play well casually when drinking but it isn't consistent and my higher level game suffers enough that I won't anymore. I still have nights playing for fun totally pissed out of my mind though and end up winning. :lol:

Big change for me, as I am a drinker for sure.
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I used to play in several leagues a week back in my 20s and 30s. During those sessions I tended to win more games as the night wore on and I had more to drink. I tended to be somewhat nervous early on, and my success later in the evenings made me think I shot better buzzed than sober because of it's calming effect. In retrospect I think it was just that my play was affected less by the alcohol than was the play of my opponents. We all drank quite a bit in those leagues, and I have always had a fairly large tolerance for alcohol.

Nowadays, I shoot in mostly tournaments or individual match-ups, and most of my opponents either don't drink or drink very little. I find that if I have several beers over the course of a match or event my winning percentage almost always goes down rather than up, and I have far fewer table runs, so it's fairly apparent to me that the alcohol impacts my game negatively, and probably always did.

Of course, after having played for about 40 years now I am not nearly as nervous when starting a match as I used to be, so any positive effect drinking may have had on my nerves in the past isn't really a factor now. Or maybe it's just that I don't drink regularly anymore so I don't hold my liquor as well as I used to. Too many factors to deal with here.... Maybe I'll just crack open a cold one and think about it for a while. :D
 
Booze & Pool

I drank for years and had a sweet spot where I played best. Problem is, over the years it took more & more booze to get to the sweet spot. As a result, I quit drinking 19 years ago and my game is the best it's ever been. Wish I could say that about my eyesight. Boozin' was fun but I don't miss it anymore.....
 
I never drink when Im playing a serious game. Even at tournaments I try any refrain from alcohol the entire time. I will have a beer or two after play is done for hte day but no heavy drinking. Thats just me....
 
I had some deadbeat scumbag rummy wanting to beat me up because "You guys take this stupid little $10 bar tourney too serious by not drinking like everybody else"
 
us820 said:
I had some deadbeat scumbag rummy wanting to beat me up because "You guys take this stupid little $10 bar tourney too serious by not drinking like everybody else"
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LOL .. sorta.
I know people like that. Kinda sad really.
 
ShakesSea said:
I don't mind people showing up at bar tourneys and not drinking but they should support the bar by ordering food or buying others drinks.
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How bout when they have a sign hanging by the urinal that says "Never trust a man who doesn't drink" to remind every drinker sober you beat to be doubly pissed?
 
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ShakesSea said:
I don't mind people showing up at bar tourneys and not drinking but they should support the bar by ordering food or buying others drinks.
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I always eat at a tourney and tip well.Buy drinks for friends.....Believe me,I get the concept of a small business.
 
I definitely THINK I play better when drinking.
I've been told otherwise....Lol
.
.
But I'm with the OP.
A few seem to help. Then it turns bad.
 
When I first joined a BCA league partying was par for the course. While my level of play definitely improved substantially over the sessions, I know no intoxicants improves my play. This became apparent in my last session in the BCA league when I played with no outside influences.

I'm now involved in league play once again and will have a 3 beer max and have none most nights. I'm there to win and would like the top spot. Not partying for me is the only way to get there.
 
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